The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-22
AN INDIANA TURKEY FOUNDRY.
A Maine Yankee Invades Hoosierdom and
Makes Some Astonishing Discoveries.

Letter IN Lewiston (Me., Journal.
Turkey fourdries seattle red over the en-
tire State. Six double mule teams collect tur-
keys from within a radius of ten miles and brin g
them to this foundry daily. No Hoosier farmer
thinks of dressing his own birds for the market
but sells them on the hoof to the collectors, re-
ceiving six cents pound for his flock. The
foundry, a building 5Sx50 feet, without floor, in
fact mammoth COOP holding LOCO turkeys. is
kept well filed by these teams. At end is a
smaller building, the dressing room. about 20x10
where ten men, wading almost knee deep in
feathers, pick turkeys at five cents each. from
morning until night. Each man dresses on the
average five an hour, fifty cents for the
Necks are wrung for Boston, while threats
stuck for the New York market. They were
dressing la New York to-day, when visited by
your correspondents.
Entering the dressing-rooul, attracted by
tremendous gobbling from the turks. there ap-
peared ten men, each with bird suspended by
the feet by a cord from beam overhead, pull
ing feathers for dear life. Beside each man
stood Two barrels, one for large. tail feathers,
and the broad, fiat wing feathers that grow on
the bend of the wing next TO the body This grade
sells for feather busters. The second barrel
ceived all soft body feathers, sold for many pur-
poses As entered, one picker finished his bird,
aud came and sat beside In to in
quiry to how long it required to dress bird
he said: I'VE are on the last of penful now,
just wait a minute and time US, you will see
some fun"
Meanwhile fifty turkeys large and small had
been put into the cage" pen about eight feet
square, but no picker. even If he had finished
his last bird of the previous lot, might select
one from this anu go to work; each as he fin
ished must wait for the last Later develop
ments showed the justice of this. Conversation
among the pickers while waiting the last man,
turned on the number OF good fat. easy picking
hens among the new lot in the cage, and one old
tweuty-f pound ''bull." whom nobody wanted.
The moment the last man finished and hung up
his bird. all made grand rush for the pen and
in moment returned, each carrying large
turkey by the feet. Arriving at this station,
each slipped both feet of his catch
through q moose in the cord. and brings the bird
down with force. then grasps a sharp pointed
knife and runs through the neck just back Of
the BILL cutting all the arteries, then the wrestle
with feathers begins,
One sweep of the hand takes every tall feather
broad feathers of the wings. With down
ward sweep a space large the picker's hand is
laid bare from tail to neck. This is kept up
until the body is thoroughly picked. Then the
finger is RUIZ into the vent, hooked around the
larger intestine, and the bird is drawn. Not a
knife is used in the whole operation, except in
killing the bird. The. feet now freed from
the moose, the head laid block, and chopped
off, the skin of the neck drawn back about
incn and chopped off again, letting the skin of
the neck cover over the end where it is tied and
your bird is ready for market Do you wonder
Easy s oss T bspr e5 fsn sgs , At the ss
stuck his bird until he hung him up finished.
occupied just seven and one-half minutes,
other. nine and one-quarter minutes. Finally
he said he would tackle the 'twenty-fve-pound
bull. ;" did so, and finished him in just eight min
utes and twenty seconds.
walked into the pen to them caught In
would come picker, cast his critical eye
the lot in search of easy one, walk along, aud
with never failing swoop of the hand. grab
turkey by the thigh, then hold him up and blow
the feathers away from the under side of the
wing and rump. IL no pin feathers. o. K, if
any, drop him and grab another, till satisfac-
tory one was found Consequently tho last ones
of lot of fifty very hard to pick and as each
finishes the last of the lot. he is required to
wait until all done, thus giving each fair
chance to begin with the easy